For the seventh-straight year, the Detroit Lions have opted not to use the franchise or transition tag.
On Tuesday, the NFL deadline for using the franchise or transition tag came and went, and for the seventh year in a row, the Detroit Lions opted not to use it. In fact, only two teams ended up using the franchise tag:
- Cincinnati Bengals — WR Tee Higgins tagged ($26.2 million)
- Kansas City Chiefs — G Trey Smith tagged ($23.4 million)
The Lions weren’t expected to use the franchise or transition tag, but there was one player who was at least worth that discussion. Cornerback Carlton Davis is heading toward free agency and is very well-liked inside the Lions facility. With Detroit needing cornerbacks for both the short and long-term, one way to make sure they don’t lose Davis would be to use the franchise tag—which could prevent other teams from negotiating with him or give the Lions an opportunity to match another team’s offer, depending on if they used the exclusive or non-exclusive version of the tag.
The complication here is that the franchise tag is expensive. The value is based on the average of the top five salaries at that player’s position. For cornerback, the franchise tag would be a one-year, $20.2 million deal for Davis. Obviously, that could have been a placeholder for the Lions until they reached a long-term deal with the cornerback, but they opted not to go that route.
Now, the Lions will have until 12 p.m. ET on Monday, March 10 to come to a deal with Davis and all of their other unrestricted free agents. If Detroit doesn’t re-sign those players by then, the tampering period—where agents can talk to other teams—begins. Free agent contracts with other teams can be signed starting at 4 p.m ET on Wednesday, March 12.